I think the cow horse is pretty cool but they should stop spinning those cow horses with the inside hind foot planted. They will lose a cow in a real tough situation because they try to pivot on that inside foot and spin their front end around. Cutters train the horse to turn on the outside hind foot (they dont train them to spin just turn 180) and that allows the horse to draw backwards and really load up their ass end so they can drive back the other direction. It is a much quicker motion than the spin and has a lot more power.
I think the reining horse world should take some clues from the cow horse world in a couple of ways for one don't have futurities of 3 and 4 years old in shank bits - that is way too fast...if you are gonna end up in a shank do it gradually like they are doing it in cow horse...also I don't think every horse needs to end up in a shank - some do better in a hackamore or what have you...also the level top line in reining horses is often overdone and the horse should not be running full speed behind the vertical with his nose in the ground barely looking like he can see where he is going - if he was a working horse and not a show horse how would he even be able to do a job...I understand a lot of em have confirmation that allows them to have a level top line - but that is different than being behind the vertical. But mostly I would like to see the reining industry bring though horses along more gradually,
I don't like this "reining" designation. Horses seldom canter with a level neckline when left to their natural movement. It's not natural for a prey animal to move about, particularly at speed, with their head lowered. The cow horse's movements are much more natural and balanced, yet you keep referring to his movements "as still . . ." Also, neither horse does the spin well. Both horses are pivoting over their center instead of over their lead foot.
Excellent explanation and video! Thanks for sharing the information Todd Crawford and for the great video Western Horseman. I especially liked the info about the hackamore vs the snaffle & bridle. Good stuff. Beautiful horses also!
